Gibson among top 10 House freshmen staff salary spenders (updated)

More than a dozen House freshmen — including one Albany-area congressman — spent more than $200,000 on staff salaries during the first three months of 2011.

Rep. Chris Gibson, a first-term Republican from Kinderhook, spent $202,705 on first quarter staff expenditures, ranking eighth out of the 17 House freshmen who spent the most on staff salaries, according to a recent analysis conducted by Colorado Pols.

Rep. Chris Gibson (AP Photo/Hans Pennink)

“Each office is given the discretion with how to spend that budget,” said Stephanie Valle, a spokeswoman for Gibson. “(We) prioritize our overall spending to make sure the constituents have access to (qualified) staff.”

Gibson’s district is the second largest in the New York, and Valle said his staff is spread across five offices to ensure optimal constituent outreach. The Gibson team opens about 100 new cases per week, she added.

Another New Yorker who made the list is Rep. Michael Grimm, R-Staten Island. Coming in at fifth place, Grimm spent $212,000 from January to March of this year.

So who was the top dog — er, spender?

That title goes to Republican Rep. Scott Tipton of Colorado. The Congressman spent $243,431 on salaries for 21 staffers — nearly $57,000 more than his Democratic predecessor, John Salazar, spent in his first three months in office in 2005.

Colorado Pols lambasted Tipton’s high wages as hypocrisy from the congressman famous for his “smaller government” image.

This left us wondering how the two New Yorkers fared.

[This paragraph updated:] Gibson’s predecessor, Democratic Rep. Scott Murphy, paid staff members a total of $86,621 — about $116,000 less than Gibson spent — during his first three months in office in 2009, April to June, though he was not officially sworn in until Apr. 29. Numbers from Legistorm show that during Murphy’s first quarter in 2010, he spent nearly $22,000 more than Gibson did during the same quarter this year.

But staff expenditures do not necessarily reflect frivolous spending of taxpayer money.

Gibson has been working to ensure fiscal responsibility for the nation, Valle said. Earlier this year, he voted to reduce the amount of money authorized for members’ salaries and expenses. Each representative’s office is given a set allowance to spend, with the current topline at $1.43 million.

“He’s taken a few steps to lead (budget cuts) by example,” Valle said. For example, “he’s giving back his entire military pension while he serves as a member of Congress.”